Qin Zhaoyue stood in front of Yin Zhe, her back to the prison cell, and demanded sharply, "What exactly do you want me to do!"
Anger, like a wildfire, instantly filled his chest, staring intently at him, refusing to back down.
Just now, she caught a glimpse of the rack at the bottom of the passage.
A handsome young man was suspended, with thin metal wires digging into his limbs and wrapping around his joints.
A large gash was ripped open in his chest and abdomen, and blood dripped down his body into the wooden basin below.
"Tick-tock..."
My damn hearing picked up on the falling blood droplets, but it took a very long time for each drop to fall.
The boy was already dead, but his head was tightly strangled and pressed against the rack.
There wasn't a single scar on his face, only frozen fear and despair.
He bled to death; he was the chicken used as an example to scare the monkey!
There are no secret files or important figures here; this is the starting point for the Nine Gates to cultivate their top-tier playthings!
An invisible "force" descended, enveloping the four people while excluding Zhao Tai.
"What does Your Highness think?" His voice was as cool and aloof as ever, as if he hadn't noticed her anger at all.
"Don't tell me that," Qin Zhaoyue took another step forward, staring blankly into the other person's eyes, "What exactly do you want to do!"
Yin Zhe was taller than Qin Zhaoyue, and when the two were almost touching, he looked down at her with his calm and unwavering eyes, as if he were looking down on her.
Whether they are the Xuanji Guards or the Empress's personal guards, they are still subjects in the end. It is already impolite to remain motionless and maintain this downward gaze.
But Yin Zhe refused to back down an inch and stared straight at her.
"Sixth Prince, is it really that easy to become a wealthy and idle person?"
Qin Zhaoyue was stunned, even her anger faltered.
She didn't understand how the conversation had so abruptly shifted to her aspirations.
Before he could even process what was happening, Yin Zhe continued:
"During the disaster relief and flood control efforts, you had the support of the Crown Prince who trusted you; upon returning to Fengjing, you were also protected by His Majesty. But..."
A glint of dread flickered in his eyes. "What if His Majesty were no longer here?"
A thunderclap appeared out of nowhere!
Qin Zhaoyue, Dou Zhan, and Sui Mo were all dumbfounded.
How can you say such things? How can you hear such things?!
Dou Zhan suddenly shuddered, "My lord."
"Shut up!"
"Okay..."
Dou Zhan immediately withdrew the step he had just taken forward.
"How many lives and how much blood have been spilled on the hands of the Nine Gates? Do you think the Xuanji Guard doesn't know?"
Right under the emperor's nose, they let a few fourth and fifth-rank officials run rampant, yet they haven't taken any action to clean them up. Why do you think that is?
Yin Zhe raised his hand and pointed to the prison cell inside.
"Because these people are all slaves, and because behind the Nine Gates are the Wang family, the Cui family, the Feng family, and the Li family!"
The former refers to the law, where it is common for slaves to be killed or injured.
Those who are particular will go to the Jingzhao Prefecture to register and cancel their household registration; those who are not particular will simply bury them.
Who cares? Even the highest-ranking officials can't do anything about it.
Where did the Nine Gates find these slaves? The procedures for taking them over were clean and straightforward, so what fault could they possibly have?
The latter is the background; behind the Nine Gates stand the four great families of the Great Gan Dynasty.
The Wang family is at the head, and the other three major families also have shares in the business. This is the real reason why they cannot take action!
"After thirteen years of implementing the imperial examination system for women, how many female officials have been able to enter the court to participate in politics?"
Do you think you can rest easy by currying favor with His Highness and acting harmless?
Even emperors sometimes lack the power to do what they want, being controlled by officials and hampered by powerful families.
Whoever sits in that position will have moments of helplessness.
Do you really think we can maintain the same bond between brothers and sisters?
Stop being naive. What's the point of making money? Do you even have the life to spend it all?
After hearing that one set of words, Qin Zhaoyue was completely dumbfounded.
Dou Zhan and Sui Mo both had the same expression: they were both dumbfounded.
Is this...is this something I can say? Isn't it taboo?
Clearly, these words have far exceeded the bounds of a Xuanji Guard.
In fact, Yin Zhe has been holding back for a long time.
The princess said that Xiao Liu resembled her, and she did indeed see some of her own younger self in him.
If I hadn't been unmarried and childless back then, and hadn't never participated in politics before, and hadn't resolutely pledged allegiance, would I have been able to save my life?
The late emperor had twenty-one sons, but in the end, only Your Majesty and she remained after they died.
Two people!
She has been veiled for fourteen years, never showing her true face.
Qin Mingyue is no more in this world; only the Xuanji Guard remains hidden in obscurity.
What do the words "hidden" and "hibernating" mean? Don't you understand?
For that supreme position, bloodshed is commonplace.
The first empress was forced into it by necessity and acted decisively, but what about the second? Would the officials and powerful families agree to it?
The northern border is inexplicably besieging the city, unrest is brewing in the south, iron ore is being illegally mined, and the iron smelting operation has disappeared into underground caves. Someone has set their sights on the counterfeit currency in Bailu County...
All these factors indicate that a storm is brewing, and it is coming sooner than His Majesty anticipated.
Dreaming of peacefully handing over the throne to some princess? Don't be delusional.
Qin Zhaoyue was stunned, her head tilted in disbelief, "You're saying I'm naive?"
"Heh," Aunt Thirteen scoffed, her disguised face revealing undisguised mockery.
"If you have no intention of becoming the heir apparent, you shouldn't have shown such remarkable abilities!"
If something is exposed and you don't fight for it, what else is that but naivety?
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. Even if His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince try to cover for you, can you really keep it a secret forever?
The initial signs of flood control and disaster relief are already emerging. Even if the eldest princess and the Xuanji Guard are covering it up, we shouldn't underestimate people's naivety.
Among Meng Jian, Pei Xueqiao, the accompanying officials of the Three Departments, and the Imperial Guards, were there no discerning individuals among them?
Now look at him, he's only been back in Beijing for a few days and he's already made so much money!
That's fine, but business acumen is, after all, a minor skill.
But there were the three poems she casually wrote, and the one she hadn't paid any attention to when she was transmitting the message from above.
To say they are merely brilliantly written is insufficient; they are enough to stand proudly at the pinnacle of the literary world.
Is Prime Minister Pei a fool? The poems prepared for Helian Chaolu were handled by him; wouldn't he question it?
What Xiao Liu might see as a trivial matter of making money, he wondered what the other imperial heirs would think if this were exposed.
That's not all; Xiao Liu also possesses extraordinary abilities.
The mysteriously cultivated inner energy, the secret guarded during the dredging of Mingyan County, the ability of inner energy to heal fatal wounds...
If Qin Zhaoyue is determined to compete for the throne, these are all advantages and resources for gathering allies.
Unfortunately, she was heartless and claimed to have no desire for the throne, only knowing how to back down.
But the more outstanding she is, the more people will fear her.
When that time really comes, will others let her off easily?
Even if the eldest prince, with whom she has the closest relationship, ascends the throne, can she guarantee that he will never be wary of her abilities?
This is not the first time His Majesty has forced Xiao Liu to take on some government affairs, including this trip to the Nine Gates.
Did they really think that she was being given a 10% bonus because she did her job well and was quick-witted?
He's quite a smart person, so why is he so slow to understand His Majesty's meaning?
And yet he's laughing so hard? And what's with this "King of Gamblers" title bestowed upon him by his friends in the underworld? Are you kidding me?
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